The group made its television debut in either 1961 or 1962 on a talk show hosted by Mike Wallace and Joyce Davidson, though neither audio nor video footage has yet been found. By 1963, Peter, Paul, and Mary had recorded three albums. All three were in the Top ten the week of President Kennedy's assassination.
That year, the group also released "Puff the Magic Dragon", which Yarrow and fellow Cornell student Leonard Lipton had written in 1959, and performed "If I Had a Hammer" at the 1963 March on Washington, best remembered for Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech. One of their biggest hit singles was the Bob Dylan song "Blowin' in the Wind. They also sang other Bob Dylan songs, such as: "The Times They Are a-Changin'"; "Don't Think Twice, it's Alright"; and "When the Ship Comes In".
"Leaving On A Jet Plane" became their only #1 hit (as well as their final Top 40 hit) in December 1969, and was written by John Denver (who already had some success with The Chad Mitchell Trio), and first appeared on their Album 1700 in 1967. "Day Is Done", a #21 hit in June 1969, was the last Hot 100 hit that the trio recorded.
The trio broke up in 1970 to pursue solo careers, but found little of the success which they had experienced as a group--although Stookey's "The Wedding Song (There is Love)" (written for Yarrow's marriage to Marybeth McCarthy, the niece of senator Eugene McCarthy) was a hit and has become a wedding standard since its 1971 release.
In 1978, they reunited for a concert to protest nuclear energy, and have recorded albums together and toured since. They currently play around 45 shows a year.[1]
The group was inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 1999.
The trio became political activists for their commitment to peace in Central America and for supporting musically and personally the peace and social justice movement in America. Their inveterate support for Israel distinguishes them from other major folk singing groups and implies a uniqueness of consideration and courage in their political choices. They were awarded the Peace Abbey Courage of Conscience on September 1, 1990.[2]
In 2004, Travers was diagnosed with leukemia, leading to the cancellation of the remaining tour dates for that year. She received a bone marrow transplant and is recovering. She and the rest of the trio resumed their concert tour on December 9, 2005 with a holiday performance at Carnegie Hall.
Peter, Paul, and Mary received the Sammy Cahn Lifetime Achievement Award from Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2006.
The trio sang in Mitchell, South Dakota, for the George and Eleanor McGovern Library and Center for Leadership dedication concert on October 5, 2006.
The trio canceled several dates of their summer 2007 tour, as Mary took longer than expected to recover from back surgery and later had to undergo a second surgery, further postponing the tour.[1] They will make up at least one of the dates, at the Northfork Theatre (formerly Westbury Music Fair) in June 2008.
No Other Name
Peter Paul & Mary Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Know me by your bed where I've lain
Know me, and you might, if just for a night
You'll know me by no other name
Some girls will bring you silver
Some will bring you fine Spanish lace
Some will say "I love you"
Some will will bring you gold
Or babies to hold
I'll bring you only pain
You can know me if you will by the wind on the hill
You'll know me by no other name
Some girls will die for money
Some will die as their born
Some will swear they'd die for love
Some die every morn
I'll die alone
Away from my home
Nobody knows where I came
The stone at my head will say i am dead
It knows me by no other name
It knows me by no other name
The lyrics to Peter, Paul & Mary's song "No Other Name" are powerful and tell the story of a woman who is not interested in material possessions, but rather in something deeper and more meaningful. She is not one of those girls who will bring you silver or gold, but rather someone who will bring you pain. Despite this, she is still worth knowing, even if only for a night, and she can be known by the light of the fire, by your bed where she has lain, or by the wind on the hill. Her identity is not tied to anything material, but rather to her essence as a person.
The second stanza contrasts the different types of girls that exist in the world. Some will die for money or swear they'd die for love, while others exist without fanfare or recognition, dying alone and forgotten. The woman in this song is one of those who will die alone, away from her home and unknown to the world. She is a complex and intriguing character who refuses to conform to society's expectations of what a woman should be. Her gravestone will bear no other name but her own, a testament to her individuality and inner strength.
Overall, "No Other Name" is a song that celebrates those who refuse to be defined by their material possessions or social status. It is a reminder that there is beauty in individuality and that true worth can only be found by looking beneath the surface.
Line by Line Meaning
Know me by the light of the fire shinin' bright
Recognize me by the warmth and brightness of the firelight.
Know me by your bed where I've lain
Get to know me by the imprint I've left on your bed.
Know me, and you might, if just for a night
You'll know me by no other name
If you take the time to know me, you might understand me for a brief moment, but I cannot be defined by any name.
Some girls will bring you silver
Some will bring you fine Spanish lace
Some will say "I love you"
Some will have my face
Some women may offer you material goods, love, or a likeness of me, but they cannot truly know me.
Some will will bring you gold
Or babies to hold
I'll bring you only pain
You can know me if you will by the wind on the hill
You'll know me by no other name
While others may bring benefits or joy, I can only bring hardship. You can recognize me by the sound of the wind on the hill, as I cannot be called by any other name.
Some girls will die for money
Some will die as their born
Some will swear they'd die for love
Some die every morn
Some women may die for different reasons, but it doesn't necessarily define who they are.
I'll die alone
Away from my home
Nobody knows where I came
The stone at my head will say i am dead
It knows me by no other name
It knows me by no other name
I will pass away in solitude, my origins will be a mystery and my tombstone will have no name that defines me.
Lyrics © Capitol CMG Publishing, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: NOEL PAUL STOOKEY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind